Manipulated Memories
by Serena Thorn
Summary: What if Sylar had brought Claire back to Pinehearst at the end of 3x11? And what if they suddenly believed they were in love with each other? Oneshot


Spoilers: 3x11  
Disclaimer: Heroes is not owned by me, but by Tim Kring. I'm simply borrowing these characters for non-profit entertainment.  
A/N: AU ending to The Eclipse part 2 and this one's dedicated to my friend Laurie. Without whom I don't think I would have written this.

* * *

It had started out about as normally as any day for them could. Arthur had ordered Sylar to retrieve Claire and bring her back to him.

Sylar had done as he was told despite Claire's struggles and pleas.

Claire had finally agreed, but only so Sylar wouldn't follow through on his threat to kill her father.

As for Arthur, he hadn't wanted to take Claire's ability. Not really. He had already gotten that from Adam Munroe, why would he need the same power twice over?

No, he was after the catalyst.

Only something had gone wrong. Arthur had been distracted by Mohinder. Something about another possible missing element to the cure.

Of course he hadn't known what Arthur was doing, he had been working in secret as he typically did with things like this so he had little reason to kill the scientist on sight.

Sylar had been in the room, watching as his supposed father worked, keeping his phantom hold on Claire to be sure she couldn't and wouldn't move.

The moment Mohinder had caught Arthur's attention his concentration had broken like never before. And none could have imagined the repercussions.

"Home sweet home," Claire sighed as she walked back through the door once Sylar had teleported them back.

"Maybe for you," he smirked as he was just a step behind her.

"I won't let my dad shoot you," she promised.

"Because he was so capable of being stopped when he sliced my throat earlier," he replied, trying to conceal his bitterness.

"Well at least our powers are back so if he does you can heal again." With that she raised up and gave him a quick kiss that he all too willingly returned.

"Claire?" Noah called, thankful to hear her voice again so soon. He wanted to believe she had gotten away from Sylar, that she had never been to Arthur. But then he had to remember his luck.

By the time he reached the living room Claire was already seated on the sofa. And in front of her knelt a tall man with dark hair, dressed still in a bloodied white t-shirt and black pants. He convinced himself it couldn't be. Anyone but him. No, he couldn't watch this. But he was too late.

"Claire Bennet, will you marry me?" Sylar asked as his eyes never left hers. He wasn't used to feeling so nervous or anxious, but everything in him needed her to say yes. To know that she would always be his.

"Sylar," she breathed, unable to believe it. She knew she loved him, but this wasn't what she had imagined. "It's just so sudden -"

For Noah it was a train wreck. One that had somehow managed to silently plow right through his living room. He couldn't look away, couldn't move, couldn't speak, could barely breathe. Claire couldn't be serious!

No, no, his Claire-bear would pick up - something, anything - and run it straight through him. To kill him just long enough to let him finish the job. Yes, because his daughter loved him that much. She would make him proud tonight.

"I know and I'm sorry that I don't have a ring, but -"

"I don't need a ring. Just you. Yes, Sylar!" she beamed finally before leaning forward and capturing him in a tight hug.

He returned the tight embrace and brought her with him as he stood, lifting her a good few inches off the floor as the relief surged through him.

"Claire?" Noah croaked, ready to rip his daughter out of the killer's arms though finding his feet seemingly rooted to the floor nearly halfway across the room from them.

"Ah!" Claire cried with a laugh as Sylar set her back down. Still hugging him, she managed to look over his shoulder and tell her father, "Dad, you'll never believe what's happened!"

For once she couldn't be more right.

It had been such a long day. He couldn't possibly be hearing this right. Claire loved Sylar? Sylar loved Claire? They had just gotten engaged in the same living room he had terrorized her in and had nearly killed him in just an hour ago? Was this some sick joke? Was she trying to give him a heart attack? Was that supposed to be his punishment for not having been there earlier today when she died and he hadn't been there?

"What happened at Pinehearst?" Noah finally managed to ask as they all took a seat, wanting to hear the events one by one. Something had to have happened. And more than that something had to be able to be done to reverse it.

"Arthur had me strapped down or something to this table -"

"I'm still sorry about that, babydoll," Sylar interrupted.

"You don't have to be, you were just obeying orders," she replied before kissing him again. Turning back to her father, she continued, "Anyway, he was trying to see inside my head. He wasn't after my power, just some other things I guess. But he must not have gotten them because I just remember someone yelling about something and then Sylar saved me and brought me back here."

"And when in all of this did you feel it necessary to plan this?" he asked, motioning to their physical closeness on the sofa, their handholding and the fact his daughter was practically in the lap of the man he most despised.

"When we got back, I guess," Claire answered.

"We both died today," Sylar added as he curled an arm around the petite brunette's waist. "I know I deserved it, Noah, I don't blame you for doing what you did. But now I feel like Claire and I have a second chance. And if I one day have to die again, I'll never forgive myself if Claire doesn't know that I'll love her with my dying breath."

That was by far the most romantic thing Claire had ever heard and it showed as a single tear began to form in both of her eyes before she kissed Sylar deeply again.

"Enough!" Noah cried, his outburst managing to force the two apart slightly.

With that he was up and storming into his office, dialing Angela as quickly as he could.

"Noah?" she asked as she answered on the third ring.

"What the hell happened at Pinehearst?" he demanded. "Why do I have Sylar here, now, claiming he's in love with my daughter?! And why is she claiming she loves him?!"

"Noah, calm down," she replied. "We wouldn't want you to pop a blood vessel over something that can be fixed so easily. I hear about what happened. Apparently Dr. Suresh interrupted Arthur while he was doing whatever it was he felt he had to. From what I understand Sylar was there as well. Arthur is a very powerful man, but even he can become distracted at times and in this case it seems to have resulted in the children's memories becoming mixed up somehow."

"Mixed up?" he growled.

"At least enough to where Claire and Gabriel don't believe themselves to have been enemies, instead having other memories, or perhaps even fantasies brought to life in their minds."

"And I get to watch as my daughter marries that psychotic son of a bitch who until tonight believed himself to be your son?!"

"I'll send the Haitian," Angela sighed. She was still angry that Noah had told Sylar the truth, but that didn't mean that she would risk him killing Sylar again. Once today was surely enough.

It wasn't until the next morning that the Haitian arrived. It had taken he and Peter that long to come back to the states.

Noah hadn't slept a wink, hadn't even bothered to try when he knew he would only see the horrific images of his daughter having fallen asleep on the sofa in Sylar's arms.

At least they were both still dressed and hadn't taken to her bedroom, he decided. That would have easily resulted in the younger's man's, likely, permanent demise.

"They're in there," Noah stated, motioning to the living room. "Do they need to be awake for this?" he asked, tempted to slam the door to scare them both awake. Only fair, he felt, given how angry he still was. But then after his conversation with Angela he knew it wasn't completely their faults.

"No," the Haitian answered as he carefully walked towards the sofa.

"Mmm," Claire sighed as she began to awake just moments after the Haitain had returned her and Sylar's memories to normal.

Feeling the young woman shift against him, Sylar too began to awake. His eyes opened first and for a brief moment he couldn't help but smile at the sight. But then it all began to come back to him and he nearly bolted up from the sofa.

"Sylar," she gasped as her eyes shot open at the sight of him.

Without a word he headed for the door. Damn his supposed father's wishes, none of that mattered now. He wasn't his father, Elle was dead and the night before he had believed himself to be in love with and engaged to Claire. There was only so much he could take this early in the morning.

"Wait," she called out to him, running to catch him before he made it to the door.

"Claire -"

"Aren't you going to take me back to Pinehearst?" she asked, unsure what to expect from him next. Would he try to kill her again? Kiss her? She would never admit which she would prefer right then.

"Not after last night," he scoffed.

She felt as though he had slapped her clear across her face. She didn't expect him to actually love her, she couldn't even be sure he was capable of love, but somehow that still hurt.

Seeing her reaction, he sighed. He still had his own memories of the night before and knew she did as well. "I meant what I said last night, to Noah. Yours was the last face I saw before I died yesterday."

"I thought of you before I died too," she confessed. Granted it hadn't been in an entirely loving way, but still he had been the only one aside from her father she had been able to think of.

As for Noah, he couldn't hear what they were saying to one another but still kept a watchful eye on them as they stood in front of the door. It seemed they were saying goodbye, at least for the time being, thought for the life of him he couldn't understand why.

Still he watched as Sylar finally left and knew he would have to be even more ready the next time. Especially if Claire again left willingly with Sylar. Whether it be to save her family again or because the day had finally come where she would choose him over all others.

The End

* * *

A/N 2: If this seemed even the least bit familiar then you're likely a Buffy/Spuffy/Something Blue fan. Cheers to those who got where the inspiration came from ;)


End file.
